The Summer High School Pilot Program “Sustainable Urbanization: New Designs for the Future City” ended on July 13th with a final presentation to the CEO of Harlem’s 125th Street Business Improvement District, Barbara Askins; the Columbia VP for Communication Victoria Benitez; Community Board 9 representatives; local architects, and education professionals. The students researched bridges between… read more

On December 8th the Urban Design Lab celebrated 10 years of research pushing the frontiers of urban innovation and interdisciplinary boundaries. There was acknowledgment of meaningful partnerships all over the world, and optimism about further collaborations. In a festive and warm atmosphere colleagues and partners from various professional backgrounds came together at Steelcase on Columbus… read more

This report projects future development scenarios for New Rochelle, New York, within the context of the New York City and Long Island Sound regions. Exploring a diversity of possibilities, the report’s overriding concern engages ecological considerations related to New Rochelle’s unique position as a transportation hub on the edge of the most urbanized estuary in… read more

In December 2013, Urban Design Lab Director Richard Plunz was an invited speaker in Seoul, South Korea, at the Seoul Institute speaking on “Lessons from the Manhattan Highline Project” as part of an international forum addressing the future of the mega-block Seun Sangga project in Seoul, dating from the 1960s.

In September 2013, the National Science Foundation announced that the Urban Design Lab (UDL) had been awarded a five year, $2.5 million Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) grant to study how New York City urban green infrastructure can mitigate coastal zone pollution. UDL Co-Director Patricia Culligan leads a team integrating urban planning and… read more

Katia Perini, an Urban Design Lab post-doctoral researcher, lectured in November 2013 at the Illinois Institute of Technology on greening the building envelope: green façades and living wall systems for sustainable urban areas.

Leigh Witthinghill presented at the Earth Institute’s Fall Fellow’s Symposium in November 2013 on the rooftop production potential of New York City. This presentation covered a decision tree Leigh has developed to determine the suitability of New York City rooftops for agriculture.

In November 2013, Katia Perini lectured at Lehigh University on vertical greening systems and the sustainable design practice for urban areas and also presented at the Earth Institute’s Junior Researchers Forum that month on the integration of vegetation. Her second book, Progettare il verde in citta’: strategie per un’Architettura sostenibile, was published that year by Franco… read more